🇭🇺
Budapest
Hungary
Thermal baths, ruin bars and the Danube at sunset.
🇸🇮
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Green, walkable European capital between Alps and Adriatic.
Estimated monthly student budget
🇭🇺 Budapest
€800–1,050 / month
Estimated monthly student budget
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
€750–1,050 / month
Best for
🇭🇺 Budapest
- Students with a tight or mid-range budget
- Those looking for a very active social life
- People who want to travel frequently around Europe
Best for
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
- Students who love nature and outdoor activities
- Those looking for a small, walkable capital
- People who want a quieter, slower Erasmus
Category profile
How each city tends to feel across the things students care about — different, not better or worse.
Very Affordable
Cost of Living
Moderate
Very High
Nightlife
Moderate
Fair
Weather
Good
Excellent
Travel Opportunities
High
Iconic
Student Life
Very Active
Plentiful
Housing
Comfortable
Well-Regarded
University Reputation
Well-Regarded
Student insights
🇭🇺 Budapest
- Excellent value for money
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
Student insights
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
- Very walkable, green capital
- Excellent access to mountains, lakes and the Adriatic
- Friendly atmosphere, easy integration
Student voice — 🇭🇺 Budapest
“Budapest is a brilliant city for Erasmus.”
Student voice — 🇸🇮 Ljubljana
“Ljubljana feels like a calm village that happens to be a capital.”
🇭🇺 Budapest
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- One of the best nightlife scenes in Europe
- Large Erasmus community
- Ideal location for travelling
- Relatively accessible accommodation
Cons
- Long, cold winters
- University prestige lower than major Western capitals
- Local language difficult for many students
- Fewer international professional opportunities
- Some infrastructure can feel less modern than Western Europe
🇸🇮 Ljubljana
Pros
- Very walkable, green capital
- Excellent access to mountains, lakes and the Adriatic
- Friendly atmosphere, easy integration
- Reasonable cost of living
- Strong outdoor and café culture
Cons
- Small Erasmus community
- Limited nightlife compared to bigger capitals
- Cold winters
- Slovenian language harder to pick up
- Fewer international career opportunities
Have you studied in one of these cities?
Share your experience and help future students make better Erasmus decisions.